Chapter 11: PAR FOR THE COURSE
‘So, how did your meeting with the crazy old man go?’ Naga asked Maya as she got into his car. He had been waiting for her to emerge from the university gates for close to 20 minutes now, and was even tempted to interrupt their meeting, when he suddenly saw Ganapathy walking away at a brisk pace. Maya was not far behind.
‘He talked a little about your father, but shut down as soon as he realized it,’ she said approaching the car.
‘That’s great, what did he say?’
‘They were close friends, almost like brothers.’
‘I was right all along. But something is fishy, why is he hiding that fact?’
‘He still speaks affectionately, and it is apparent he misses him.’
‘Then why can't he talk to me?’
‘There is something he is holding back, maybe some dark secret. We have to find out.’
‘It is possible that he helped the Hindustan agents kidnap my father. After all, he was the one who reported nanagaru’s kidnapping.’
‘Naga, I don't think that is possible. The police investigations did not throw up anything.’
‘We are talking about police investigations 30 years ago. They did not have modern facilities then. I would be the least surprised if it were true. From what you told me he was against the civil war and continues to praise Hindustan.’
‘That doesn't mean a thing. I am sure many people were against the civil war. Anyway, I have to meet him again tomorrow, maybe I can get out some more information.’
‘I have an idea, why don't you record the conversation? I can give you the digital pen-recorder that I use for my interviews.’
‘Are you sure? Wouldn't it be cheating?’
‘He is lying and I see no other way out,’ he said, slowing down the car. ‘There appears to be a massive traffic jam ahead. I hate this peak hour traffic. Why does everyone have to drive? We have an excellent subway and public transport.’
‘You could ask the question to yourself,’ Maya said, looking ahead.
‘You are right,’ Naga replied sheepishly, switching on the traffic channel on his car radio.
Traffic alert for travelers on Beach Road. There has been a bomb blast near Parliament and traffic has come to a standstill. All the approach roads have been blocked. You are advised to avoid this route.
According to Eenadu News Agency, four people have died and seven injured in what appears to be another terrorist attack. Although no group has claimed responsibility, police sources say it appears to be the handiwork of Telengana Freedom Army...
‘We will have to turn back and take the Flag Staff road,’ her said shifting to the first lane for a U-turn
‘Is this the group that wants to join Hindustan?’
‘Yeah, they are funded and trained by those bastards in Delhi.’
‘You said earlier that they are a small minority.’
‘Very small, but quite organized, we will track them down and wipe them clean.’
‘So where are we going now?’
‘It will take sometime for the road to clear. Do you want to see a Tamil movie?’
‘You have to translate all the dialogs for me.’
‘That won’t be necessary. There are a couple of theaters that show regional movies with English subtitles. Our government is trying to make Madras more foreigner-friendly, since we have a big expatriate crowd. There is even a blueprint to make it the business and tourist hub of Asia.’
‘You mean like Singapore?’
‘Yes, the plan is to give Singapore tough competition by making Madras more attractive for businesses.’
‘Don't you think companies may be afraid to invest because of your problems with Hindustan? What if there is another war?’
‘There won't be another war. Hindustan does not have the economic strength to survive if there is one. All their threats are just for keeping their citizens under control. You saw what happened after the previous war in 1993, their economy was shattered and they are yet to recover. Half their population starves.’
‘Foreigners don't necessarily think so.’
‘You know, it is all media hype. The foreign reporters here have to justify their salaries, so they constantly blow up the situation. The only thing they report on is our tension, which is exploited by Hindustan. Every time there is a report, the global markets go for a spin. I won’t be surprised if the reporters make profits on the stock market. No one here believes there will be war,’
‘Fine, I understand. Which movie do you want to see?’
‘Let us see the latest Rajanikanth movie Chandramukhi. I told you he is planning to run for President this year, you will see why he is so popular.’
‘Is he your favorite actor?’
‘No, my favorite is Kamalhaasan who is more talented, Rajanikanth is more popular among the masses.’
‘You are not part of the masses?’
‘I didn't say that. Kamalhaasan does thinking movies, while Rajankanth does action-musicals that the people find more entertaining, no thinking necessary.’
‘How old is Rajanikanth?’
‘He is 55.’
‘What? And he does action musicals?’
‘Yeah, he wears a wig to look much younger.’
‘And Kamalhaasan?’
‘He is 51 years old.’
‘Why are all your popular actors so old?’
‘We have younger actors, but they do not have the same charisma as these two.’
‘Is Kamalhaasan interested in politics?’
‘He won't succeed.’
‘How can you be so sure?’
‘He is a Brahmin.’
‘What has that got to do with politics?’
‘He is considered Aryan, and it will be very difficult for him to win elections in Dravida.’
‘You mean a Brahmin can never win elections in Dravida?’
‘No, they can, and we have many Brahmin politicians, but it is definitely a disadvantage.’
‘You mean to say that since Rajanikanth is not a Brahmin, he may win the elections?
‘That is not the only reason. He is extremely popular in all the provinces.’
‘What is his caste?’
‘Actually, his family is from Maharashtra province, which is in Hindustan. He was born and brought up in Bangalore. His caste, Maratha, is also considered Dravidian, but Hindustan has control over the province.’
‘It is all very confusing. Are you sure that Aryans and Dravidians are not the same race?’
‘I don't believe they are, although many Brahmins consider so.’
‘Isn't it strange that a democratic free market country discriminates against people because of their caste?’
‘Hey, we don't discriminate against Brahmins. They are free to contest elections, and if they have done good social work, they will win.’
‘Naga, I have never asked you before. What is your caste?’
‘I don't believe in the caste system. My family comes from the kapu caste in Andhra. They are mostly farmers turned traders.’
‘That explains your opposition to Brahmins.’
‘Hey, I have nothing against them. In any case they were powerful for thousands of years and discriminated against the other castes. So if there is reverse discrimination now, they deserve it.’
‘That is not what Professor Ganapathy told me.’
‘He will say that because he is a Brahmin.’
‘I can see that your country is deeply divided along caste lines.’
Naga kept quiet, it was true, unlike Hindustan where religion played an important role in driving local politics, Dravida’s issues were mainly caste and ethnicity.
Maya noticed a heavily barricaded road to her right. A couple of US Army trucks were stationed on one side, with around a dozen armed soldiers milling around.
‘What is that road, why is it blocked with soldiers?’
‘That is the entrance to Rajan Garrison, headquarters of the American milita
ry in Dravida.’
‘In the center of the city?’
‘Yes, that is right. It is a legacy of our civil war. President Narsimhan wants to shift them away from the city center, and negotiations are still ongoing, it will free up a lot of prime space in Madras.’
Dravida and the United States reached an agreement to complete the relocation of the Rajan Garrison to an expanded military base in Tambaram. The two sides, however, remain split over the timeline. Dravida agreed to bear the cost of relocating, and was pushing for end-2008.
‘How big is this facility?’ she asked, noticing high walls with electrified fences and security cameras on one side of the road in a never-ending stream.
‘The garrison is around 620 acres, just like a small US township. It has housing areas, a large commissary, post exchange, recreation facilities, restaurants, sports complexes, library, hospital, schools and a gas station. There is also a hotel inside the compound.’
‘Wow. How many people stay inside this town?’
‘Around 40,000 do so now. There are four other U.S. Army bases in Dravida; Mangalore, Hyderabad, Vishakhapatnam and Cochin. The total US army presence will be around 300,000.’
‘That is quite a lot.’
‘Yes it is, but it ensures our safety and is a kind of insurance against any attack by Hindustan. The US military has been granted operational control if there is war,’ he said, his foot pressing on the brakes as the traffic light turned orange.
‘Isn’t it degrading for Dravidians?
‘Of course, there is a lot of opposition, especially from the liberal political parties. The anti-American sentiment spiked three years ago after two U.S. soldiers in a tank hit and killed two teenage girls in Mangalore. But we have no option, we cannot fight the Hindustan army alone.’
‘Another form of imperialism practiced by America.’
‘I told you before, Soviet Union has more soldiers based in Hindustan. It is just cold war politics where the smaller countries become pawns,’ Naga replied. ‘On the left ahead, is the commercial district of Sepoy Town. There is a lot of westernized shopping and nightclubs, but the locals avoid it. It can get quite dangerous at night, as it is also the red light district frequented by soldiers. That's why I never took you there. We will go to the right, where there is another commercial area,’ he added, as the light turned green.
Before long they had arrived at their destination.
‘Don't be too late,’ Maya said, getting off, as Naga promised to park the car and meet her at the entrance of Safire Multiplex.
She noticed a huge crowd milling around the booking counters. She was surprised as it was a weekday. In Corea, only the weekend shows saw this kind of crowd.
These guys are really crazy for their movies.
She looked up and saw huge cutouts of movie posters that were on show at the Shanthi Multiplex. All of them seemed to be in the local languages, and she could identify three different language scripts, having no idea what they represented. Five of the posters prominently featured men with darker skin, only one had the face of a stocky man with fairer skin.
That guy must be Kamalhaasan. He doesn't look like the others.
She did not notice a single Hollywood movie on show, although English was a national language.
‘Is that Kamalhaasan?’ she asked Naga, pointing towards the poster as he approached her.
‘You got it right. Doesn't he look much better than the other guys?’
‘He does. Tell me, why are all the women so fat?’
‘Dravidians like them plump, as they consider it healthy. Anyway, I like women who are slim like you.’
‘Why is there no Hollywood movie on show here?’ she asked, ignoring his remark.
‘We have a screen quota system.’
‘What does it mean?’
‘To protect the domestic film industry, the government has made it a law that theaters should show Dravidian language movies for 200 days in a year, so very few Hollywood movies are released here.’
‘How has it helped?’
‘Dollywood has thrived and improved. Had it not been for the quota, we would not have been able to make quality movies, and capture the imagination of the world. Look at the fate of Hindi movies, there is hardly any originality, and every film is made to develop a personality cult of the Nehru dynasty.’
‘What if you want to watch the latest Hollywood movies?’
‘That is no problem, we have many video-on-demand services, and can watch it at home a week after they are released abroad.’
‘Which of these movie are we going to watch?’ she asked pointing towards the posters.
‘The second one up there.’
‘Do you think I will enjoy it?’
‘Many foreigners have liked the movie. Although, the real purpose of bringing you here is to see for yourself the hysteria that Rajanikanth generates.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Look over there,’ he said gazing towards a crowded area at the entrance gates.’
Maya looked stunned as she saw people praying before a poster of Rajanikanth. A few were pouring milk on the lifelike cutout; others split coconuts on the ground, offering garlands and money, while even more people danced in a trance.
Is it for real? They are treating him like God.
‘This is nothing. Just wait till the movie starts,’ Naga said.
Chandramukhi was unlike any movie Maya had seen before. While the story of the plot was wafer thin, about the ghost of a hundred year old court dancer and her revenge on the people who killed her, there was a lot of action, drama and music which seemed irrelevant to the main plot. The movie was confusing, more so because many of the actors looked alike to her. The English subtitles did help, but only to a limited extent, the whole cultural mismatch left Maya more confused, but the crowd seemed to love it. Every time Rajanikanth appeared on the screen in multicolored clothes, the people went hysterical, screaming in joy, whistling and throwing money on the screen.
‘How did you like the movie?’ Naga asked as they drove away from Shanthi multiplex. He had noticed her dozing off many times through the movie, only to wake up with a start to the loud screaming and howling by the audience.
‘Not bad, actually very confusing.’
‘I understand, we have too much drama and irrelevant subplots in our movies and the length is another problem. I prefer the Hollywood movies which have tighter stories.’
‘Do people actually wear such atrocious clothes in real life? He looked like a Pyongyang Circus clown.’
‘You mean the bright colors? You won't believe it, but Rajanikanth is considered a style icon here. He can pull off any dress, and his style immediately becomes a national sensation.’
‘He reminds me of Yeong-gu,’ she chuckled.
Yeong-gu was a hugely popular slapstick comedy character in Korean cinema, modeled on the lines of Charlie Chaplin.
‘Is he a popular actor?’
‘Yes, the best comedian we have.’
‘Rajanikanth is not a comedian. Remember that dark fellow in the movie who was afraid of ghosts? He is the comedian.’
‘Most people in the movie were dark. Anyway, I found Rajanikanth more funny.’
‘What do you know? I saw you dozing many times,’ he replied slightly annoyed.
‘Anyone will fall asleep with so many songs.’
‘That is the last Tamil movie I am taking you to. I thought it would help you understand the importance of movies, the hysteria they generate and the reason why so many actors become politicians.’
‘What do you mean? Hysteria, I saw. The reason they become politicians, I did not.’
‘Many of the actors have used movies to build up a reputation and then dived into politics on the strength of the goodwill.This hysteria is linked to their success as politicians. As I told you before, our four Presidents were extremely popular in South India; MGR in Tamil Nadu, NTR in Andhra Pradesh, Raajkumar in Karnataka and now Jayalalitha aga
in from Tamil Nadu. They all acted in roles that helped them in their political careers later. They convinced people that their political values mirrored their film roles.’
‘What about Kerala?’
‘There was one popular actor from Kerala, Prem Nazir, who tried to join politics, but failed. Malayalam movies are not as popular as Tamil, Telugu or Kannada, so he did not have a nation-wide appeal.’
‘Rajanikanth has a nationwide appeal with that silly style?’
‘Sure, he will be our next President.’
‘From todays movie, I gather that he is just an action hero who fights, sings and dances in clown clothes. How will that help his political career? Don't tell me he will wear those clothes while in office.’
‘Unlike the other actors before him, he does not try to portray the image of a sinless God fearing man. So there are no ideological hang-ups, but he gives inspiration to the people. There are more than 200,000 fan clubs that engage in numerous social activities. The people love him for his humility.’
‘This would never happen anywhere else in the world,’ she retorted still confused.
‘I am feeling hungry. Where do we go now?’
‘I am sorry, I forgot about your early dinnertime. Why don't we order in? Chinese?’
‘Sure, I am in no mood to go to a restaurant now, the movie just killed my patience, just hope this traffic gets better.’